🗣️ HAVING A VOICE
What does self-government or self-rule mean?
People have a voice/say in how they are governed.
What does liberty mean?
Freedom
What does consent mean?
Approval or agreement.
What does limited government mean?
People can limit or restrict the power of government.
(The people tell the government what they are allowed and not allowed to do)
Did Americans always agree about how their new governments should work?
No
Why were the colonists frustrated with the British government?
They had no say in British laws that affected them and their rights!
What does unalienable mean?
Unable to be taken away or denied.
Where does government get its power?
From the people.
TRUE or FALSE
Limited government means government has no power.
False
What does deliberate mean?
To think about and discuss issues before reaching a decision.
What does self-determination mean?
The ability of people in a country to decide their own government.
Name the THREE unalienable rights
Life, liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
What does “consent of the governed” mean?
Government gets its power from the people
For hundreds of years, who often ruled without asking ordinary people for consent?
Kings, conquerors, and tyrants.
Name ONE place where Americans shared and debated their ideas about government.
Newspapers, taverns, each other's homes, or colonial assemblies
TRUE or FALSE
Self-rule means that you always get your way.
False. People have a voice, but they will not always get the decision they wanted.
According to Jefferson, what is the MAIN purpose of government?
To protect the rights of the people.
In the social contract, what do the people agree to give the government?
Power
After separating from Great Britain, what did each former colony need to create?
A new government.
Name ONE question Americans debated when creating their new governments.
- How much power government should have?
- How to protect rights?
-How representatives should be chosen/how long they should serve
- Whether to have a governor
- What power courts should have
- Who should participate in government
Why was self-government such a revolutionary idea?
Because it was never done before!
Ordinary people would have a voice in government instead of rulers having all the power.
What can people do if a government fails to protect their rights or takes their rights away?
They can get rid of/change that government and create another one.
What can happen if government misuses the power the people gave it?
The social contract is broken, and the power returns to the people; they can change the agreement/government.
Why might people want to LIMIT the power of their government?
To keep government from becoming too powerful/taking away people's rights.
Why did Americans consider creating their new governments a “great experiment”?
They were trying self-government and creating new governments for the first time ever, knowing they might not get everything right and could make changes.